Atishi retains Kalkaji seat for AAP amidst major losses in 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections

During the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, Delhi CM Atishi succeeded in
holding Kalkaji’s seat for AAP by surpassing Ramesh Bidhuri of BJP by
more than 3,500 votes. This victory stood as a rare highlight for AAP
since the party endured widespread defeat throughout Delhi where
prominent leaders Arvind Kejriwal as well as Manish Sisodia and
Saurabh Bhardwaj all lost their electoral seats to the BJP. Since 2015
Congress has sustained a line of unsuccessful performances by being
unable to claim any seats.

The 2020 winner Atishi faced an intense battle against BJP’s Bidhuri
who held three terms as Tughlakabad MLA plus South Delhi constituency
MP position. The political battle intensified when Alka Lamba
representing Congress added her name to the contest for Kalkaji
constituency. Atishi proved her political growth within AAP by
successfully overcoming the strong opposition and challenging
elections to maintain her seat in the Assembly.

AAP suffers widespread defeat across Delhi

Ms Atishi after her victory in Kalkaji said, “I thank the people of
Kalkaji and party workers who braved BJP’s hooliganism. We will
continue our struggle for the people of Delhi and the country. This is
a setback for AAP but we accept the people’s mandate. We will continue
our fight against BJP’s dictatorship and hooliganism.”

Kalkaji Seat Holds Historical Significance with Shifting Political Loyalties

Delhi politics considers Kalkaji to be an essential parliamentary seat
because different parties have taken control of it throughout multiple
decades. Purnima Sethi won the constituency in 1993 as a member of the
BJP and since then Kalkaji has witnessed changing political loyalties.
AAP entered political prominence at Kalkaji after Congress and the
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) previously occupied the seat. The 2020
election win secured by Atishi has guaranteed AAP’s continued
dominance over the Kalkaji constituency in Delhi.

The BJP secured control over almost 47 out of the 70 parliamentary
seats within the capital district. AAP suffered a major blow as the
party faced both the loss of senior leadership alongside a significant
reduction in its political power. AAP leaders Kejriwal and Sisodia
faced defeat while Atishi survives to build AAP’s future after this
political loss.